Although this film is frank about some matters, the Production Code of the Hays Office - i.e., censorship - was still in effect. In one 16mm print there is a curious moment of dead air at the end of Lillian Larue's parting speech to George Simon. She says (approximately), "Well, for God's sake, what do they expect for ten thousand dollars?" John Barrymore keeps looking at Larue (Thelma Todd) as if she is still speaking, and she must be, but there is no sound. Her last words in the text of the play are, "A virgin?"
According to DeWitt Bodeen, this film was the first in which John Barrymore suffered a prolonged bout of memory loss. Called back for retakes, the sober actor did fifty-six unsuccessful takes for director William Wyler, who postponed it to the following morning when a still sober Barrymore did it on the first take.
The play opened on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre in on September 12, 1932 and closed May 27, 1933 after 120 performances. Many members of the original New York cast reprised their roles in the film version, including John Hammond Dailey, Malka Kornstein, Marvin Kline, T.H. Manning, John Qualen, Angela Jacobs, Elmer Brown, Conway Washburne and Vincent Sherman, who appeared in a Chicago production of the play. The starring role was portrayed on stage by Paul Muni, who, based on his humble beginnings in Yiddish theater, turned down the film version to avoid being typecast in Hollywood.
Clara Langsner repeated her role from the original Broadway production of 1931, despite being younger than her on-screen son John Barrymore.
John Barrymore was signed for a salary of $25,000 per week and director William Wyler was ordered by Universal to film his parts as quickly as possible. But, due to Barrymore's alcoholism, what was to take two weeks took nearly twice as long. And, because he had such trouble remembering his lines, Wyler had cue cards places around the set. The alcohol was also having such an effect on Barrymore's health and appearance he had to spend extra time in the makeup chair every day so he would not appears as ill as he really was.